ORLANDO, Fla. — Justin Fuente has coached his share of elite quarterbacks over the years.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and Denver Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch are a couple of the signal-callers that were coached by Fuente, who is in his first year as Virginia Tech’s head coach following four years as the head coach at Memphis (2012-15) and three years as the co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at TCU (2009-11).

So, Fuente knows a great quarterback when he sees one, and he has a good feel for the type of player he will see tomorrow night when Virginia Tech and Clemson meet in the 2016 ACC Championship game at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

“He’s got length, he’s mastered their scheme, offensively he’s in total control, he’s played in big ball games, and he’s not just a thrower of the football,” Fuente said on Friday during a press conference previewing the championship game. “He’s an accomplished passer. He’s got a bright future in this game. I don’t see any weakness in anything that he does.”

That includes Watson as a person off the field.

“From afar, not being in the meeting room or being around him on a daily basis, my impression of him is he’s an incredibly driven man,” Fuente said. “The things I’ve read about him in terms of his academic aspirations, combined with his athletic goals and achievements, he can do it all.”

Hard, smart and tough. That is Virginia Tech in essence, or at least the identity of the team that Fuente aimed to establish after taking over the program on Nov. 29, 2015.

“It’s about hard, smart and tough,” Fuente said. “I think we want to be known as a group of people, whether it’s on the football field or off the football field, that work hard in the classroom, in the community, on the field.”

One of Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney’s philosophies is that it’s not about how one handles success, but how one handles failure.

Similarly, Fuente wants his team to be tough through adversity, no matter the situation.

Said Fuente: “We have an intelligent group of kids. They play smart football, do well in school, and a group of guys that are tough regardless of circumstances, whether it’s rain or cold weather or wind, or you’re up or you’re down, or you’re doing well or you’re not. Our guys battle through it. That’s the mentality we’ve instilled since day one.”

Coaches catching up. Speaking of Swinney, he and Fuente had an opportunity to chat for a few minutes prior to their press conferences.

Fuente was one of the two coaches Swinney met with after the 2010 season during his search for a new offensive coordinator. Chad Morris, of course, was the other and got the job, but Swinney and Fuente have maintained a good relationship since.

“We’ve stayed in touch, certainly, Fuente said. “I’ve enjoyed watching his teams from afar. Occasionally we’ve had conversations about players. I’ve enjoyed our relationship. I spent about 10 minutes in the back with coach, his wife, and it was fun to get caught up and see his kids and see how they’ve grown. I’m happy for his success. Certainly well deserved, and I’ve enjoyed the relationship.”

Fuente knew early on what his team is made of. Fuente provided some interesting insight on what it was like in the spring when installing a new offense completely different than the one legendary coach Frank Beamer ran during his 29 years at Virginia Tech.

Fuente said the offensive change from a pro-style offense to a power-spread stood in stark contrast to the defense, which stayed status quo under longtime defensive coordinator Bud Foster, who has served in that capacity at Virginia Tech since 1996.

“When you think about the first day of spring, we had an offense going on one day of instillation versus a defense going on 29 years,” Fuente said, “and so it was a little lopsided, particularly early.”

However, when Virginia Tech began practicing again in the fall, the strides the players had made in terms of learning the offense showed Fuente what kind of team he was working with.

“By the end of the spring, we were still a long way away, and I think the thing that’s the most dramatic moment for me in terms of our improvement was the difference between the last day of spring and the first day of two-a-days, the first day of fall camp,” Fuente said. “To see the work our kids had done on their own in terms of understanding the scheme offensively and defensively and special teams wise and the gains they made physically, that let me know that this was important to them because they had to do it on their own.

“That very first day of practice, as the head coach that’s trying to take a step back and take a good look at his team and the team’s development, that let me know that this was important to these guys and they were going to do whatever we needed to have done in order to give ourselves a chance.”

Forcing turnovers a focal point for Virginia Tech. When Clemson struggled at times during the regular season, it had a lot to do with turnovers. In five of the six games the Tigers turned the ball over at least two times, they had to win close games over Auburn, Troy, Louisville, N.C. State and Florida State. They also turned it over three times in the lone loss to Pitt.

Contrarily, in the six games Clemson had one turnover or less, it outscored the opposition 286-37.

So, it’s no shock that forcing turnovers is an emphasis for Virginia Tech’s defense heading into the game.

“I hope we can cause a few. I mean the bottom line is nobody has stopped them offensively,” Fuente said. “You’re trying to slow them down, you try to limit a possession by getting a turnover, trying to do anything you can to keep them out of the end zone. And if you can create a turnover or two, and in turn hold onto the ball offensively, then you have a chance to steal a possession there, and I think that’s going to be important for us to have a chance.”

Virginia Tech not playing like it has nothing to lose. Clemson is a 10-point favorite heading into the contest, and most expect the Tigers to win the game and advance to the College Football Playoff.

Therefore, the phrase “they have nothing to lose” is applicable to the Hokies, who finished the regular season with a 9-3 record (6-2 ACC).

But it’s not a saying Fuente and Virginia Tech are believing or buying into.

“I’ve stayed away from the connotation that you’ve got nothing to lose because I don’t believe that,” Fuente said. “We’ve got a great opportunity and we’ve got a great group of kids that have worked incredibly hard for this opportunity. Now it’s just our job to prepare and do the best we can.”